Infinite Space  Mystery of the Epitaph
by Mand'alor
Summary: As a young man named Yuri escapes his home planet, he will discover new enemies and allies alike. The Epitaph he carries with him through the midst of battle holds the secret to a vanishing universe, and promises the end of despair.
1. Dramatis Personae

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

To be updated as characters are introduced. All optional staff and their sidequests will be explored, so expect this page to get very

Main Characters:

Yuri - A boy who travels out into the sea of stars to solve the mysteries of the _Epitaph_ that his father left to him. _Yuri_ has a strong sense of adventure and curiosity about the unknown, as well as a fierce competitive streak.

_Nia Lochlain_ - A female _launcher_. For a fee, she helps people leave their home planet to journey into space. _Nia_ is the one who first brought _Yuri_ out to the sea of stars.

Kira - _Yuri_'s little sister and only living relative. _Kira_ is very attached to _Yuri_. She wants to be by his side, no matter what it takes, and she'll do absolutely anything for him.

Torlo Adkin - A boy born on the planet of _Bagut_ in the _Dominion of Ropesk_. _Torlo_ is the leader of a transport gang.

_Tatiana Argakov_ - A childhood acquaintance of _Torlo Adkin_. _Tatiana_ has a frank, outspoken nature, and seems to be unaware of her natural beauty.

_Ian Fenevich_ - A boy born on the frontier planet of _Gorodok_ in the _Interplanetary Union of Elgava_. _Ian_'s intelligence impressed _Dedon Galkin_ so much that _Dedon_ recommended than _Ian_ join _Yuri_ in his travels.

_Gen Nadiy_ - A legendary, if elderly, tactician who once worked for the General Staff Headquarters of the _Central Elgavan Forces_. _Gennadiy Alabyshev _disliked being fettered, however, and now spends his days traveling under the assumed name of "_Gen Nadiy_."

_Alik Kovalenko_ - A boy who travels the sea of stars with _Gen Nadiy. Gen_ took him in after _Alik_'s home planet was decimated, leaving him a refugee. Although only seven years old, _Alik_ already shows great promise as a tactician.

Gavriil Minas - A genius scientist with a lab in Kalymnos. Professor Minas is known throughout the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds as a leading authority on Epitaph research.

Aminda Mistika - The director of the Ludoviko Tani Observatory in Nova Nacio. Aminda is a favorite former student of Professor Gavriil Minas, whom she helps with his Epitaph research.

Semias Alastar - A self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades, he wanders far and wide throughout the Small Magellanic Cloud. Semias is well informed on what's happening in every sector of the galaxy at any given time.

Interplanetary Union of Elgava:

Demid Panfilov -Once a famous _Zero G Dog_, he discovered and developed the planet of _Ropesk_, which later became an autonomous dominion of _Elgava_. But fearing the exodus of his people from _Ropesk_, he issued a ban on space travel, making them dedicate themselves to the improvement of _Ropesk_.


	2. Prolgue:  The Tracker

The Navigation deck of the dreadnought drifting through space looked very little like the heart of a battleship, let alone one as iconic and dangerous as the _Corsair_. The room itself was almost completely bare, the floor being as a map of the stars themselves, save for one lone console and it's holographic displays at the center of it, five lone figures standing over it.

"The _Ropesk_ sector, eh? No wonder we've hardly seen a ship worth mentioning!"

"Yes, well it is an autonomous dominion in a remote frontier, sir."

"Do you really think he's here, though, in a place like this, sir?"

"Oh, he's here all right."

"Really?"

"I can smell him."

"Heh. If you say so, Captain."

The soft, low light of the deck bled into a harsh red as the alarm sounded, setting the largest of the figures into motion as they strode towards the bridge, only one figure following behind.

"An enemy?"

"Well, well. I'm surprised that anybody in this sector would pluck up the courage to challenge me!"

The bridge, it turned out, was only somewhat more orthodox. The large, circular, room was divided two smaller circles, filled with equipment and staff, connected by a third, overlooking the pseudo-window. A high quality video wall and external camera, rather than the structural weakness of a window. From this third square stood the Captain's chair, and the seats of the support staff and first officer. As they entered the deck, the lead operator rose from his station to acknowledge their captain.

"It doesn't look like _Ropesk_ security. It appears to be an anti-pirate patrol from the _Central Elgavan Forces_. What do you want to do, Captain?"

"Those fools... They forget their place. How many of them, and how close are they?"

"Seems to be a fleet of 5 ships, sir. Two destroyers, two cruisers and a battleship, They're centering their formation around the battleships and using the destroyers as a front guard."

"Then prepare to bombard the target squadron, we'll swat them down before we're in their range."

The order ripples through both of the circles, and the voices of the Artillery and navigation chiefs can be heard at the control stations.

'Calculations complete and enemy course projection set. Ready to fire on your order.'

"Disperse weaponry, MIRVs and Plasma weaponry on both flanks, main Anti-ship cannon on the battleship, fire!"

The _Corsair_ was one of the most notorious ships around, almost 3000 meters across, the _Elgavan_ ships were as small as 20. Only some of the turrets about the _Corsair'_s bow turned to face the squadron. The volley was fired and done with in a single flash or fire, the orange glow of missiles and two short bursts of red. Both sides of the _Elgavan_ formation burst into flame, burning destroyers and molten remains of cruisers.

"Let's give 'em something to bawl over, boys! Fire the main cannon!"

'Adjusted pattern moved to zero point zero five.'

The _Corsair_'s bow was more like a literal mouth than anything else. The faint blue inside that mouth glowed for just an instant, and a bolt of blue sprung from it's mouth, and the battleship in it's path, with all it's streamlined pride, wings and emblems, was reduced to a wreck, burning silently in what little air escaped it into the vacuum.

'That's the end of them.'

"Bah, that barely even broke up my boredom."

The captain, now standing in front of his chair rather than using it, leaned forward on the edge on a console. A mane of bright red hair, braided at the sides rested atop his head, strong jaw and broad shoulders. His necktie and beige waist jacket contrasted the dark coat over them. The shoulders of the cape rose above where his shoulders likely ended, taking shape in the jaws of a snake pattern running across his back. As he speaks, the rest of the crew seem to deflate as they breath out and relax.

"Think I'll lie low for a while. Shouldn't be long before we get a hit."

"Aye, captain!"

'Shutting down the inflaton inverter'

'Switching to inertial navigation in thirty seconds.'

As the ship's engines faded and the lights started to switch off, another battle was in place just within view of the screen, over Ropesk itself. One pitched between Ropesk security and a custom built ship, the name "_Daisy_" burnt onto the side with a kiss shaped mark.


End file.
